Citizens of Germany, Ukraine and Russia helped Moscow to circumvent sanctions against military-industrial complex, prosecutor's Office says

Germany has detained five people suspected of creating a network that exported goods to Russian military companies in violation of European Union sanctions. This was reported by the Federal prosecutor's Office, reports Reuters.

The agency estimates that since February 2022, the group has organized 16,000 deliveries totaling €30 million, and Russian government agencies are suspected of managing the procurement.

The defendants were arrested by customs officers in Lübeck, a port city on the Baltic Sea in northern Germany, and in the neighboring Duchy of Lauenburg.

The suspects were identified as citizens of Germany, Ukraine and Russia.

The end users of the supplies were 24 companies of the Russian military-industrial complex, prosecutors said.

They added that law enforcement officials conducted searches in various locations, including the cities of Frankfurt am Main, a major financial center, and Munich, Bavaria, and that five other suspects remain at large.

One of the defendants, a citizen of Germany and Russia, is suspected of running a trading company in Lübeck, which was allegedly the center of the operation.

The prosecutor's office claims that shell companies, fictitious recipients inside and outside the EU, and a Russian organization were used to conceal the deliveries.

According to the agency, the assets were seized for the amount corresponding to the value of the transactions.

The Russian Embassy in Berlin did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on the allegations.

• On January 28, the German Federal criminal police Office conducted searches at Deutsche Bank. According to German media, the investigation concerns alleged money laundering involving Russian oligarch Abramovich.